Easter Vigil: Old Testament Readings

At least three of these lessons should be included in this service including Exodus 14

Gen 1:1-2:4 (NRSV)

1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless
void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face
of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw that
the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light
Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the
first day.
6 And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters
from the waters." 7 So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the
dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. 8 God called the dome Sky.
And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9 And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let
the dry land appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that
were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let
the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that
bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation: plants
yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God
saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the
night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15 and let them be
lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16 God made the
two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the
stars. 17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the
day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was
good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly
above the earth across the dome of the sky." 21 So God created the great sea monsters and
every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every
winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, "Be
fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23
And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and
creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so. 25 God made the
wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that
creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let
us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild
animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." 27 So God
created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he
created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill

the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the
air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." 29 God said, "See, I have given
you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in
its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of
the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have
given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made,
and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. 2 And on the
seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from
all the work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on
it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. 4 These are the generations of
the heavens and the earth when they were created.

Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 (NRSV)

10 As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians
advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses,
"Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the
wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the very thing
we told you in Egypt, 'Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been
better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." 13 But Moses said to the
people, "Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish
for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again.
14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to keep still." 15 Then the LORD said to
Moses, "Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16 But you lift up your
staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the
sea on dry ground. 17 Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in
after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and
his chariot drivers. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained
glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers." 19 The angel of God
who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud
moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. 20 It came between the army of
Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the
night; one did not come near the other all night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over
the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into
dry land; and the waters were divided. 22 The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the
waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued, and
went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 24 At the
morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian
army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. 25 He clogged their chariot wheels so that
they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD
is fighting for them against Egypt." 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand
over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and
chariot drivers." 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea
returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians
into the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the

entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. 29 But
the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on
their right and on their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and
Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great work that the LORD
did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in
his servant Moses.
15:20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the
women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:
"Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the
sea."

Isaiah 55:1-11 (NRSV)

1 Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and
eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your
money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen
carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear,
and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David. 4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and
commander for the peoples. 5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations
that do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of
Israel, for he has glorified you. 6 Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him
while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the
LORD, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. 9 For as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts
than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not
return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to
the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it
shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the
thing for which I sent it.

Ezek 36:24-28 (NRSV)

24 I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into
your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your
uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 A new heart I will give you, and
a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and
give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes
and be careful to observe my ordinances. 28 Then you shall live in the land that I gave to
your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Ezek 37:1-14 (NRSV)

1 The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD
and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them;
there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, "Mortal,
can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." 4 Then he said to me,
"Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus
says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will
lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put
breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD."
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a
noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were
sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no
breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to
the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon
these slain, that they may live." 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came
into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11 Then he said to me,
"Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our
hope is lost; we are cut off completely.' 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says
the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my
people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the
LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will
put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you
shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act," says the LORD.